Meeting the in laws again (Advanced): Presenting simple gifts
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Key Phrases
Dammi del tu, ormai sei di famiglia
Call me tu, you're family by now
Non dovevi disturbarti, davvero
You really shouldn't have
Ci mancherebbe, è il minimo
Not at all, it's the least I could do
Skills You'll Learn
Expressing informality and closeness by switching to 'tu'
Esprimere informalità e vicinanza passando al 'tu'
Giving and receiving compliments about a gift politely
Fare e ricevere complimenti su un regalo con cortesia
Politely asking for permission to do something
Chiedere il permesso di fare qualcosa in modo educato
Lesson Roleplay
Imagine you're arriving at your friend Giulia's parents' home for a visit. You want to greet her mother and give her the gifts you brought.
Buonasera, signora Carla! Che piacere rivederla.
Good evening, Mrs. Carla! What a pleasure to see you again.
Ciao Emily , entra, entra! E dammi del tu, ormai sei di famiglia.
Hi Emily, come in, come in! And please call me tu, you're family by now.
Grazie, Carla. Ti ho portato un pensierino, niente di che: un'orchidea.
Thanks, Carla. I brought you a little something, nothing much: an orchid.
Ma che bella! Non dovevi disturbarti, davvero. L'hai scelta tu?
Oh, how lovely! You really shouldn't have. Did you pick it yourself?
Sì, Giulia mi ha detto che ami le piante. E questo vino è per Franco.
Yes, Giulia told me you love plants. And this wine is for Franco.
Lesson Vocabulary & Phrases
Che piacere rivederla.
keh pyah-CHEH-reh ree-veh-DEHR-lah
What a pleasure to see you again.
💬 The la tacked onto rivedere is the polite "you", the same la used for anyone you'd address formally, man or woman. With a friend it would be rivederti.
See breakdown →Dammi del tu
DAHM-mee dehl too
Call me 'tu'
🇮🇹 When an in-law says this, they're formally inviting you to drop the polite Lei. Accept it and switch to tu straight away. Sticking with Lei after this can feel cold.
See breakdown →Ormai sei di famiglia
or-MY sigh dee fah-meel-ya
You're family by now
💬 ormai means "by now" or "at this point", suggesting something has settled over time. Same use: ormai è tardi "it's late now anyway".
See breakdown →E dammi del tu, ormai sei di famiglia.
eh DAHM-mee dehl too or-MY sigh dee fah-meel-ya
And call me tu, you're family by now.
Un pensierino
oon pen-syeh-REE-noh
A little something
💬 pensierino is pensiero "thought" with the -ino ending that makes things small or endearing. The same ending gives regalino "a little gift".
🇮🇹 The usual modest way to hand over a gift in Italy. Downplaying it is expected, even when you've chosen carefully.
See breakdown →Niente di che
NYEHN-teh dee keh
Nothing much
Un'orchidea
oon or-kee-DEH-ah
An orchid
💬 ch in Italian always sounds like a hard k: (or-KEE-deh-ah). Same in che and chiesa.
See breakdown →Non dovevi disturbarti
nohn doh-VEH-vee dee-stoor-BAR-tee
You shouldn't have gone to the trouble
Non dovevi disturbarti, davvero.
nohn doh-VEH-vee dee-stoor-BAR-tee dahv-VEH-roh
You really shouldn't have.
🇮🇹 A standard, warm reply when receiving a gift. It isn't a real protest, so just smile and wave it off.
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